Security personnel stand guard exterior a mosque following an explosion in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday. – Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty Images
A suicide bomber killed at least 31 folks and injured 169 throughout Friday prayers at a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, authorities stated.
It was the deadliest attack in the nation since January 2023, when a blast at a mosque in the north-western metropolis of Peshawar killed multiple hundred folks.
“We had just begun the prayer when we heard the sound of gunfire, followed by a powerful explosion,” a worshipper at the mosque, Syed Ameer Hussain Shah, 47, advised NCS.
“I got injured as well. At that time, the mosque hall was full, with more than 400 worshippers inside.”
An injured man to a hospital following an explosion at a mosque in Islamabad on Friday. – Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images
Pakistan has witnessed a rising wave of militancy in current years, however assaults have been much less frequent in the closely guarded capital. A bombing in Islamabad in November, which killed 12, was the deadliest suicide attack to rock the capital in practically twenty years.
Early investigations had pointed the finger of suspicion at Pakistan’s Taliban, or Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), police sources stated, however the TTP issued an announcement saying it had “no connection whatsoever” with Friday’s attack.
“Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s targets are clear and well-defined: Pakistan’s security institutions and their collaborators,” it added.
Shiite Muslims mourn exterior the mosque following a lethal attack. – Farooq Naeem/AFP/Getty Images
Images in the aftermath of the attack confirmed our bodies coated in blood mendacity on the ground of the mosque surrounded by shards of glass and particles.
The US embassy in Islamabad condemned the attack. “Acts of terror and violence against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable,” it stated on X. “The people of Pakistan deserve safety, dignity, and the ability to practice their faith without fear.”
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari stated the focusing on of harmless civilians was “a crime against humanity,” and the complete nation stood “shoulder to shoulder with the families affected,” the AP information company reported.
For extra NCS information and newsletters create an account at NCS.com